A wireless radio network system consists of a base band unit (BBU), a remote radio head (RRH or sometimes referred to as RRU) and an antenna. As more wireless capacity is required, additional wireless sites are necessary to handle the ever-growing need for additional bandwidth and coverage. As these wireless sites move closer to urban areas and within municipalities, hiding or concealing this network equipment is often preferred. In many cases local zoning regulations require the concealment of said equipment. This concealment becomes a challenge for any active components that are generating heat. This is especially true for the remote radio head (RRH) modules, the device that broadcasts the radio frequency signal in a wireless system. These devices require adequate cooling and ventilation to operate properly. In this invention the BBU is located outside of the concealment and not at the top of the tower.
Current Concealment methods do not provide adequate cooling. When RRHs are placed inside a concealment, there are usually very little or no openings in the concealment radome to provide adequate ventilation. In instances where there are openings in the concealment radomes, they are typically too small and located below the RRHs with no exhaust vents to allow the heated air to be released. This lack of proper ventilation and airflow will result in the overheating of the RRHs, and a shortened product life.
RRH orientation also plays a large role in proper cooling. When RRHs are placed inside a concealment, they are typically not positioned to ensure that the RRHs dissipated heat does not flow from one RRH into the cooling air of another RRH.
Currently known strategies to cope with inadequate cooling have performance and cost disadvantages. With current concealed solutions not providing adequate cooling, the RRHs are often placed at ground level or outside of the concealment module. Such ground installations result in higher power consumption and energy costs, as well as decreased performance due to the transmission losses from long RF jumper cables connecting the RRHs to the antennas at the top of the tower. Additional real estate is also needed to mount the RRHs when placed at ground level. When RRHs are placed outside of the concealment module but still on the tower structure, the RRHs lose the aesthetic advantages of concealment and often violate zoning requirements.
There are also issues with accessibility. Most concealment modules are large, long cylinders. Accessing the equipment within the concealment becomes difficult as the entire cylinder must be removed. These concealment cylinders are often very heavy and require a mechanical advantage to be removed.